Hatred (1967)

Publication Instance Details #983

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	War
War / Genocide Referenced	War: Vietnam War
Languages	English
Original Language	Irish
Original Poem	An Fuath (1967)
Original Author	Máire Mhac an tSaoi
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Notes	This poem was composed by the poet for an anti-war cabaret, organized by Irishman John Arden in New York, against the Vietnam War. The poet refused to write a simple propaganda poem, however, and this poem speaks more generally of the hatred behind warfare and conflicts. 'Hatred' is almost personified in this poem as a malevolent martial spirit that steadies the hand on the trigger - but also neatens the garden built on sand-dunes. The construction upon sand-dunes is likely a reference to the fragility of societies to wars, and the fragile peace that exists in most places in the world. The date of the poem's title, 1967, ties it to the Vietnam war, which the US entered in 1965.